The present invention relates to a method for applying to a support a plurality of articles, held in protective elements; the invention also relates to the article of manufacture made by the inventive method.
As is known, a very important problem in several manufacturing fields is that of providing the market with promotional products or samples, so packaged as to be clearly visible.
In order to preserve the above promotional products or samples, they must be properly protected from the outside environment or from a contact with outer agents in general; moreover, said articles must be held in a properly separated relationship from one another.
The above mentioned requirements are additional to a lot of other packaging requirements to be daily met by manufacturing companies, and the present invention set outs to provide a definitive solution to the packaging problems affecting a lot of small or very small size articles which must be packaged in a loose condition.
Actually, multiple articles characterizing a single large size object must be reunited to provide a single good.
A first element or article, for example, can comprise a package or vessel or other element; a second article can comprise the product self which can be provided either in a packaged or non packaged condition. A further article can comprise a promotional gift very different from said further article with respect to its size, functionality and/or nature.
Prior approaches provide to use coupling methods for coupling several articles to supporting elements.
On the other hand, said prior methods have been found not fully satisfactory since they could not provide a firm coupling of the several involved articles.
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a method for applying multiple articles to a support element, said multiple articles being held in a protective element, thereby allowing to connect said articles by adhesion, while greatly simplifying the method steps and assuring a firm coupling between the plurality of articles and the support therefor.
Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to provide such a method and related article of manufacture allowing the desired articles to be coupled either manually or mechanically, with an automation of the overall processing operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a method for applying to a support a plurality of articles, held in protective elements which is very reliable and safe in operation.
Yet another object is to provide such a method which is very competitive from a mere economic standpoint.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide such a method which can be easily carried out by using easily available elements and materials.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a method for applying to a support a plurality of articles, held in protective elements, characterized in that said method comprises two main steps.
A first step comprises three basic operations, that is: I) processing, usually thermically, a thin plastic material sheet in order to provide a plurality of recesses therein, II) introducing into each of said recesses one or more articles to be packaged and III) applying a closing film to said recesses.
The second step comprises three basic operations, consisting of coupling to said closure film a strip including several layers such as: a first layer constituted by a supporting film adapted to be coupled to said closure film, a second adhesive layer and a last layer comprising a siliconized paper; die-cutting regions encompassing said recesses; removing waste material of all the used materials, with the exception of the siliconized paper and comprising the thin plastic material sheet, the closure film and the multi-layer strip.